I was helping a client create their professional development plan and mentioned several components that could be included: podcasts, articles, books, tutorials, collaborating with colleagues, journaling, etc. She had not considered how these multiple elements could combine to provide new skills and insights.
Once again, I was reminded of my analogy of stringing pearls. Too often, people look for the equivalent of the Hope Diamond — one big thing to address their needs. In reality, life is much more incremental and those who succeed are the people who can intentionally connect the small occurrences to provide cohesive and consistent meaning. These are the people who can “be the string” to craft the small pearls into a necklace.
Professional development happens incrementally, as does financial saving, weight management, health, learning a new skill, relationships, and just about everything of value. Rather than expending energy searching or waiting for the big answer, focus on uniting the small inputs and actions instead. Cultivating a lifelong habit of “being the string” will turn your incremental moments into significant ones.
